How Long?
by sdbubbles
Summary: "How long has it been since you fell in love with a boy like me?" A Christmas gift for BethyBoo97, geezworld and TeamNewTricks.


**A/N: This is my Christmas present for Beth, Ellie and Gee. My original plan was to write one each of them, but then I got stuck in Arbroath and then sent to Carnoustie and then Monifieth and then the Ferry and I ended up in Dundee and I didn't have time in the end. But I hope they like it!**

**The song is "How Long" by The View, a great band from Dundee :)**

**Sarah x**

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_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?  
How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_

As he returned to the table with the fourth round of drinks, Gerry wondered what she was doing – Sandra was doing something with strips of paper, and it looked very delicate for a woman who was drinking wine like it was going out of fashion. It was a lot of folding and pinching and tightening for one little bit of paper.

He watched with curiosity, vaguely aware of Steve cracking a joke behind him, and Brian chortling in his usual strange fashion. Strickland had already overdone it; he sitting grinning at nothing in particular.

Sandra grinned and handed him her product. "Make a wish," she grinned. Well, it was easily seen she was drinking at Christmas. She'd made a tiny little star from a strip of paper and given it to him. He did as he was told and made a wish. A wish that would probably never come true, mind, but a wish all the same. The wish was simple – for his feelings to be returned by her.

_When you drop 6 bottles of your best perfume, I'll turn them into 12_  
_Standing on the shoulders that are slating you, I slay them all myself_  
_Your last order of your cheap old wine has never helped your case,_  
_I'll come running with a crate of champagne to brighten up your face_  
_So don't call me crazy, cause it's all for you lady!_

She was laughing at something Steve said, and she knocked her wine glass over. "Shit!" she said to herself. Surprisingly, Gerry didn't feel drunk. Not as drunk as Sandra, at any rate. She was smiling as she stood up and almost fell over...definitely drunk. He knelt down and collected the glass up, mopping up the white wine with a tea towel a barmaid handed him on the passing.

He went and ordered her another, wondering what the appeal with the cheap white wine was. In his experience, it didn't even taste great. All it did was get her drunk. There was no pleasure in the process. A man sat laughing at Sandra at the bar. "Hey!" Gerry said. "You got a problem, mate?!" The man shook his head and retreated back into his conversation with his friend. Gerry didn't like when people commented on Sandra; they didn't know her, so how could they pass judgement on her? He shook his head as he left with the fresh glass of wine.

"I'm going to have to go home," Brian announced, predictably the first to call it a night. "I'm going to call him a cab and all," he added, looking down on an intoxicated Strickland. Gerry'd never seen his boss' boss drunk before, and he had to admit that it was ever so slightly entertaining.

"Aye," Steve sighed. "I promised I'd Skype Charlie tonight," he explained, putting on his coat. He'd had double what Strickland had, and he was still standing. Before Gerry knew it, he was left on his own with Sandra Pullman.

"You know what?" he said.

"What?" she asked.

"Sod the wine. It's Christmas!" he reminded her cheerily. He went to the bar and returned with a bottle of champagne.

"You're mad!" she accused with a wide grin

_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_  
_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_

What would it take for her to see? What would it take for her to even look? "I don't deserve you," she announced. "You're too nice to me."

Now he really did know she was drunk.

_Well, you're the third note in my triad, girl_  
_Without you, I see a little world_  
_I'll come running when the wind won't make a chime._  
_'Cause if I take your words in the song I sing,_  
_Like the rock, the paper, the scissors, that sort of thing_  
_The question is waiting in the pretty scene, how long has it been?_  
_So don't call me crazy, 'cause it's all for you lady!_

The way she smiled at him, it was like she actually did feel what he did. It was only by chance they even ended up stuck with each other; after all, Sandra Pullman would never have allowed him to join her unit had she not happened to appoint Jack as her deputy. The chances had not been in his favour but he now found himself sitting in the pub with her.

He poured them both a glass of champagne. "To the woman who makes my world go round," he toasted.

"You're toasting your mother? I thought she was dead?" she asked, genuinely confused. For such a smart woman, she really could be so very dense sometimes.

"No," he shook his head. "I was toasting _you_," he corrected her.

"I knew that," she whispered back. "I was hoping you'd say something different," she said. Her smile was tainted with something he couldn't quite pinpoint – fear, or maybe distrust? "It's Christmas, Gerry. Don't go and ruin it just because you've got a few drinks down you."

"Excuse me, but you've drunk more than I have! Actually, you've probably had a bit too much," he objected. She smiled, and he knew he'd done no harm. In her, he saw the wonders of the world: beauty, intelligence, humour and love. "And anyway, what have you got to look forward to? Christmas TV and a bottle of cheap wine? Your mum?" he added, raising his eyebrows, and he saw in her face he was right. She had no decent plans for Christmas. "How long has it been since you spent Christmas with somebody you love?" he challenged her.

_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_  
_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_

"And how long has it been since you forgot your place?" she snapped. She was on the defensive now.

"How long has it been since you let somebody in?"

"How long has it been since you acted your age and not your shoe size?"  
"How long has it been since you fell in love?"

There. That shut her mouth.

_I'll come running, come running  
__When the wind don't make a chime  
Come running, I'll come running  
__When the wind don't make a chime  
Don't make a chime for me and you_

She did not answer; she could only try and out-stare him, but considering she was less than sober and he was still reasonably rational, she was losing that one quite spectacularly. "Don't," she moaned. "Trying to keep focus is giving me a headache!" she complained. "I'm going to the bathroom."

She got up out of her seat, and stumbled forwards. Gerry had to rush out of his seat and catch her. "Told you you had too much to drink," he smirked. He had to admit, though, that while her body rebelled against alcohol, her mind was still razor-sharp.

He literally watched her come round to his way of thinking; she seemed to understand now that he was always going to be there for her, no matter what, and if she was going to fall in love, he was the best person for her. It took long enough, but she appeared to let go and allow him to hold her up.

_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_  
_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_  
_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?  
How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_

He looked into her eyes, and she nodded ever so slightly, confirming what he was starting to work out. He pressed his lips into hers, and he felt her let go and kiss him back. She might have been drunk, but she was well aware of what he was doing, and what she was doing.

She broke away from him and said, "I've been in love for years, but I couldn't say anything."

"I love you, Sandra," he told her. "Want to come to mine for Christmas?" he offered. She smiled, and nodded her acceptance, leaning in to kiss him again. This was messed up, and twisted, but he didn't care...he was in love with her, and had been for a long time. Now he knew she was in love with him, too.

_How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?  
How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?  
__How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?  
How long has it been since you've fell in love with a boy like me?_

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**Hope this is OK!  
Please feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think!  
Sarah x**


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